1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved piping structure of an air conditioner, designed to minimize a vibration by changing a piping shape in looped pipings of the air conditioner.
2. Background of the Related Art
Hereinafter, description will be made about the prior art.
In general, a compressor refers to a machine used to compress a gaseous medium in various fields. The compressor used in the air conditioner where compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation are sequentially generated is used for compression.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a conventional air conditioner.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional air conditioner includes an outdoor unit 10 disposed outdoors to make a heat exchange, an indoor unit 20 disposed indoors to condition indoor air, and a connection piping 30 for connecting the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.
To be more specific, the outdoor unit 10 is a means for transforming a gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure, which is introduced from the indoor unit 20, into a liquid refrigerant while a heat exchange with outdoor air takes place. The outdoor unit 10 is composed of a compressor 11, a condenser 12 and an expansion valve 13.
Further, the compressor 11 is a member where the gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure which is introduced from the indoor unit 20 is transformed into a gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and pressure. The condenser 12 is a member where the gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and pressure is transformed into a liquid refrigerant of intermediate temperature and high pressure. The expansion valve 13 is a member where the liquid refrigerant of intermediate temperature and high pressure is transformed into a liquid refrigerant of low temperature and pressure.
Here, the condenser 12 is a member where a heat exchange with the outdoor air is directly made, and is provided with a separate fan 12a in order to take in the outdoor air. Meanwhile, the indoor unit 20, in which the liquid refrigerant of low temperature and pressure introduced from the outdoor unit 10 is evaporated and transformed into the gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure, causes the indoor temperature to be lowered with the use of the evaporation at this time.
The indoor unit 20 includes an evaporator 21 where the liquid refrigerant of low temperature and pressure is transformed into the gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure, and a fan 21a. The connection piping 30 is a member for connecting the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 so as to force the refrigerant to be circulated, and is appropriately disposed according to a distance between the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20.
By the way, there occurs a lot of vibration from the compressor 11 located at the outdoor unit 10 during compression. Such vibration is transmitted to other members via intake and discharge pipings connected to the compressor 11.
The transmission of the vibration generated from the compressor 11 results in vibrating the whole air conditioner. This causes a serious problem in that an excessive noise is generated not only to give annoyance to a user but also to accumulate the vibration for a long time to incur a component breakdown caused by fatigue. Thus, there is required an approach for solving this problem, so that it is proposed in the prior art that the intake or discharge piping is subjected to looping at a predetermined location, that a length of the piping is extended, that at least one lumped mass element is attached/applied to the piping, or so forth.
For a piping structure around the conventional compressor with reference to FIG. 2, pipings 152 and 153 connected to the compressor are looped, and then are added by a lumped mass element 140.
Here, the conventional air conditioner having the piping structure as mentioned above is designed so that the gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure introduced from the indoor unit (not shown) enters the outdoor unit through an external piping connected to a service valve 110, and then the gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure introduced in this manner is subjected to removal of its liquid component by means of an accumulator 130, compression at the compressor 150, and change into the gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and pressure, and enters the condenser.
Meanwhile, while the compressor 150 performs a compression process, there is generated serious vibration according to operation of the compressor 150. This vibration is transmitted to other components of the air conditioner via intake and discharge pipings 152 and 153 connected to the compressor 150, thus having bad influence. For this reason, it is necessary to regulate such vibration.
When constraint of transmission of this vibration is intended to increase lengths of the pipings, the constraint is solved either by performing looping to secure the lengths, or by mounting the lumped mass element 140 made of an elastic material such as a rubber at a predetermined position of the looped pipings. In general, the lumped mass element 140 is located at a lower end position of the looped intake and discharge pipings 152 and 153 of the compressor 150.
Further, all the pipings connected to both the compressor 150 and the accumulator 130 pass through a reversing coil 120, and thereby the vibration is suppressed.
Here, the reversing coil 120 is preferably disposed in a rear upper space of the system so as not to interfere the intake and discharge pipings. Inlet and outlet of the reversing coil 120 are oriented downward.
Here, the looping of the intake piping 152 is constructed to linearly face upward by beginning with the accumulator 130 to be bent in a reverse U shape and then in an L shape at the reversing coil 120 in an upward direction.
Meanwhile, the looping of the discharge piping 153 is constructed to linearly face upward by beginning with a discharging part to be bent in a reverse U shape and then in an U shape along a base side again, and finally in an L shape at the reversing coil 120.
Further, a gaseous refrigerant tube 151 for transporting the gaseous refrigerant introduced into the compressor 150 is directly connected to the reversing coil 120 on one end without any looping, and is connected to the service valve 110 on the other end in order to facilitate connection with the external piping.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a conventional looped piping structure.
As shown in the drawing, the looping of the piping 153 of the compressor 150 is preformed by reverse U shaped bending, looping up and down several times, and looping in a horizontal direction.
However, in the conventional piping structure as mentioned above, the whole pipings have a weak strength in an up and down (Z-axial) direction. Thus, the vibration generated from the compressor fails to be efficiently reduced in the piping of the air conditioner. Consequently, this causes the air conditioner to be vibrated as a whole, which leads to serious problems in that excessive noises are generated to give the user an unpleasant feeling, that the vibration is accumulated for a long time, thus incurring breakdown of components caused by a fatigue and so forth.